title: Cardiac metastasis of malignant melanoma: a case report.
abstract: The heart is regularly involved in metastatic neoplasms with cardiac metastases being found in up to 20 % of autopsies. We present a case about a 42-year-old Caucasian female with a fatal metastatic melanoma to the heart. The five- year survival rate for stage IV melanoma (melanoma with metastases to other organs) is 15 to 20 %. If patients with malignant melanoma present with new onset of cardiac symptoms, clinicians should always be aware of the possibility of cardiac metastases and perform further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, P.O. Box 444, NL-3300 AK, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, basaerts@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: B R J
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.forename: M C J M
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kock
authors.forename: M J M
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kofflard
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Plaisier